Oscar Tshiebwe, Hunter Dickinson, and Armando Bacot spend time together at Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby always brings out the biggest and brightest stars each and every year. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that four of the nation’s biggest college basketball stars spent some time together watching the 2023 version of the derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe, North Carolina center Armando Bacot, and North Carolina sharpshooter R.J. Davis all spent some time together at the derby.
Check out the picture of some of college basketball’s biggest stars in their suits.
It’s the second consecutive Kentucky Derby attended by Bacot. He has an NIL deal with Town & Country Farms, a breeding and horse racing farm located in Georgetown, Kentucky.
The derby always brings out the biggest and brightest stars
There have been few portal decisions this offseason that were as highly anticipated as former Michigan Wolverines’ star Hunter Dickinson’s.
Dickinson was the No. 1 rated prospect in the transfer portal this offseason. He ultimately chose the Kansas Jayhawks after receiving interest from Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland, and many others.
Last season, Dickinson averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. He added 1.8 blocks and 0.5 steals per game to his statline.
In 2021-22, Tshiebwe put together inarguably the greatest modern rebounding season from any power conference player and set so many rebounding records in ’22 and ’23 that it would be ridiculous to try and list them all. He averaged 15.2 rebounds per game in 2022 and scored 17.4 points a night on top of that. He also posted 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks as a better defender than he would be in 2023. Just an all-time great individual year in UK hoops history.
North Carolina big man Armando Bacot has already cemented his status as one of the most dominant big men in college basketball history during his time there. Bacot was named a third-team All-American by four different outlets for his play this season. While North Carolina struggled as a team, he was able to average a double-double with 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Bacot has peppered his name all over the record books at UNC, and this year he became the school’s all-time leading rebounder.
North Carolina sharpshooter R.J. Davis has proven to be one of the most highly explosive scorers in all of college basketball the past few seasons. This year, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for the Tar Heels. He earned honorable mention All-ACC honors for the 2022-2023 season.
On3’s James Fletcher III, Griffin McVeigh, and Alex Weber also contributed to this article.